The myth of an objective press benefits the powerful at the expense of the people

On Sunday, Fox News’ MediaBuzz opened with host Howard Kurtz warning of “a serious threat to journalism.” A debacle that began with a New York Times op-ed by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and ended with the resignation of Times opinion editor James Bennet had shaken the media world. What made Cotton’s op-ed arguing for a military “show of force” against protesters stand out from the many bad and questionably dangerous pieces published in that section in recent years is that Times reporters, who steer clear of whatever’s happening in the...